The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was created in 1937, as part of the Department of Agriculture. The FSA, as well as its predecessor, the Resettlement Administration, were New Deal programs designed to assist poor farmers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The Resettlement Association administered a special photographic section under the direction of Roy Emerson Stryker beginning in 1935. This section continued its work through the creation of the FSA, as well as a move into the Office of War Information in 1942.

During its existence, the section produced approximately 77,000 photographs depicting the negative effects of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and farm mechanization. During the later years of the project, the photographers also documented the mobilization effort for World War II.